FRANCES LOSS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1922, Page 5

FRANCES LOSS.

GERMANY MUST REPAIR., PREMIER’S PLAIN WORDS. OTHER ALLIES BLAMED. ATTACK ON BRITAIN. By Telerm ph—Pre** A«n —Copyr'ghe Paris, August 21. M. Poincare attended ihe unveiling of the first milestone along the Voie Sacree, 57 kilometres in length from Bar-le-Duc to Verdun, over which the French troops marched in 1916 to support the stricken town. In a subsequent speech he disclaimed any French desire for aggrandisement. She only asked for the execution of the treaties and the payment of damages. France's friends, however, were obsessed with the idea of recovering their foreign markets. The A Hies came to an understanding three years ago at the expense of France and denied her the right to have the French policy asserted. Britain had favored granting the German request for a moratorium withaut consulting France, and simultaneously issued the Balfour Note, to the great surprise of France, at the moment when Germany was announcing that she would notspay. He considered the coincidence a regrettable one at the very least. Received Aug. 22. 8 .10 p.m. Paris, August 21. In his speech at Bar le Due, M. Poincare declared Britain only spoke of her unemployment and said she had lost her foreign trade, but she misunderstood France’s financial difficulties. M. Poincare complained that every inter-Allied compromise during the last three years had been at France's expense. Britain made repeated interventions to prevent every effort of France to exert pressure on Germany, and since the armistice the Allies, little by little, had shown less political solidarity. Some nations more Imperialistic than France of desiring domination, but France did not want land, only -the execution of the payment of war damages.

Some Allies did not always understand these simple claims, and sometimes, feeling more insecure than did France against Bolshevism, they thought they could kill the evil by means of sterile negotiations. At other times they saw only their own paralysed industries and desired to find foreign markets at any price. CONCESSIONS TO GERMANY. ‘This is both natural and inevitably” he added, ‘‘but what I and France cannot understand is why, during the last three years, in the peace treaty as well as in conventions following, the agreement most often reached was at the expense of France. It is useless to recall the long list of deceptions inflicted on France by concessions in favor of Germany, and through the successive whittling down of our claims and the opposition placed in our path we advised the enforcing of sanctions. It appears to France as if some of the Allies want to prevent her having the French policy. The British Government is certainly animated by friendly intentions, but has failed to realise the seriousness of our

financial position.” “In an otherwise courteous Note,” M. Poincare proceeded, “Britain reminds us that we are in debt to England. Such a claim surprised us when made at the same moment as Germany announced her inability to pay, and Britain supported her. With all her dead and devastations, was not France’s voice worthy of hearing? When discussing reparations, must she always bowbefore the will of the majority of the Allies. who are lees interested than France?” M. Poincare declared Germany h’-rself was responsible for the collapse of the mark, which the German Government, bankers and manufacturers deliberately organised. He added: “She defaulted, and I proposed that the Allied Governments should collectively enforce penalties, but the instructions given by some Allies have always been exceptionally lenient. They perhaps respected the letter of the treaty, but constantly abused the spirit of it.” “It would be monstrous if the repara-

tions Germany owes were to be confounded with the inter-Allied debts,” said M. Poincare. “The former must have priority. If Britain demands the repayment of our debt, and at the same time delays the payment of reparations, it will necessitate our asking Italy, Roumania and Serbia to pay us what we are asked to pay. We shall not allow ourselves to be placed in such a position. We know well enough that the world does not stop at our frontiers. DAMAGE SHALL BE REPAIRED. “Our policy, though fervently national, is neither narrow nor blind, and it would be most stupid if we did not try to conciliate with a wide and generous European policy. We only ask to remain allies of the Allies, and to have our allies’ friends as our friends, resuming with former enemies peaceful and courtly relations. But we want our damages repaired, and they shall be.” Le Temps applauds the speech, and declares the real obstacles preventing the solution of the European crisis are politicians and the military. Referring to a statement in the British Press that Britain will not abandon her claims against France unless the latter reduces her army and navy. Le Temps declares: ‘These threaten nobody, but it is that part of the British policy which surprises M. Poincare. We are convinced the bulk of the British people will disapprove of that policy if France explains her programme and intentions.” AN UNEXPECTED OFFENSIVE. CAREFULLY PREPAP.ED SPEECH. INJURIOUS TO ENTENTE. Received Aug. 83, 1.5 a.m. London. August 22. The Daily Chronicle’s Paris correspondent, commenting on M. Poincare’s Bar le Due speech, says: “Since he returned he has not previously referred publicly to the differences at the London conference. His unexpected oratorical offensive against Britain and the British Government was made in a carefully prepared speech, which he read. There might have been an excuse for a speech so full of bitter words and insinuations if the London conference had ruptured the Entente. It will not fail to blight the French nationalist press and serve the interests of the Anglophobes, who are preaching a rupture of the Entente and an alliance with Germany. M. Poincare declared that France, in facing the reparations problem, had encountered difficulties more surprising than Germany’s bad faith/’ - ~Aus.-N .Z. Cable